The last few days have seen much speculation about the Ministry of Labour’s latest announcement. As reported in the national press, from January 1, 2011 the Ministry is set to allow ex-pat workers who finish their contracts to obtain new work permits without undergoing the six-month work ban, thus allowing them to move to other firms without the need for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from their employer.
We all know that employees moving to and from free zone or public sector companies have long enjoyed freedom of movement and this latest announcement will go some way to appeasing the rest of the workforce, by creating an equitable system for everyone.
According to the new resolution issued by the Minister for Labour Saqr Gobash, an employee can obtain a new work permit and move to another employer without the passing of the currently legitimate six-month period PROVIDED that they have
a/ completed two years of service,
and
b/ ended their work relationship cordially.
It is this latter point that is most open to conjecture and misconstruction and begs the question about arbitration. In the absence of misconduct, it is to be hoped that employees will indeed be able to transfer with relative ease, thus paving the way for a transparent, meritocratic labour market. Even more enticingly, could this latest move improve our prospects of attracting the best talent to the region?
Wishing you all best wishes for the festive season and a successful 2011!
christmas, d, ex-pat workers, festive season, Minister for Labour, Ministry of Labour, No Objection Certificate, NOC, public sector companies, Saqr Gobash, work permits
As a recruiter with six years experience of servicing the advertising industry in both London and now the Middle East there is one thing that perplexes me and I fear always will; a typical art director or copywriter will spend long days and sometimes longer nights creating the perfect idea or solution for a client so why, oh why do so many of these same gifted individuals fail to apply the same thought and dedication in marketing themselves?
Over the years I have met some stunningly talented people responsible for award winning work at Lynx, DNAD and Cannes on recognised global brands. Now ask one of these creatives to show you their work and half the time you get a beautiful, quirky, easy to navigate website. This website showcases the creative’s talent, experience and credentials with the same standards that they apply to a client’s website. However we get to the other half, equally hungry for the next opportunity who send me their work via four separate emails (due to the size of the docs).I might receive one email containing radio, another for TVCs and then maybe two more emails with dozens of pieces of print work attached. There is no order or narration explaining the client’s brief and no CV. Now I’m supposed to send this on to my client, really?
I recently spoke to my client Jonny Singh the design director and partner in design and communications agency four09 who had this to say on the subject;
“Getting your book together, is like dating… as once you put yourself out there, there is no going back; first impressions are everything.
“Your book is a shorthand way of communicating and like dating a way to gauge personality and fit within a second or two and as a creative its personal, no matter how much we fight it, there is an insecure artist in us all…
But all that aside, it is important to take that leap of faith, as when you do, the results good or bad, can be fantastic and unrivalled.
“As Richard Branson says ‘The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at al’”
So here is a final little beg from me. Please nice Mr Creative show no fear…. help me to help you.
As a recruiter with six years experience of servicing the advertising industry in both London and now the Middle East there is one thing that perplexes me and I fear always will; a typical art director or copywriter will spend long days and sometimes longer nights creating the perfect idea or solution for a client so why, oh why do so many of these same gifted individuals fail to apply the same thought and dedication in marketing themselves?
Over the years I have met some stunningly talented people responsible for award winning work at Lynx, D&AD and Cannes on recognised global brands. Now ask one of these creatives to show you their work and half the time you get a beautiful, quirky, easy to navigate website. This website showcases the creative’s talent, experience and credentials with the same standards that they apply to a client’s website. However we get to the other half, equally hungry for the next opportunity who send me their work via four separate emails (due to the size of the docs).I might receive one email containing radio, another for TVCs and then maybe two more emails with dozens of pieces of print work attached. There is no order or narration explaining the client’s brief and no CV. Now I’m supposed to send this on to my client, really?
I recently spoke to my client Jonny Singh the design director and partner in design and communications agency four09 who had this to say on the subject;
“Getting your book together, is like dating… as once you put yourself out there, there is no going back; first impressions are everything.”
“Your book is a shorthand way of communicating and like dating a way to gauge personality and fit within a second or two and as a creative its personal, no matter how much we fight it, there is an insecure artist in us all.”
But all that aside, it is important to take that leap of faith, as when you do, the results good or bad, can be fantastic and unrivalled.
As Richard Branson says “The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”
So here is a final little beg from me. Please nice Mr Creative show no fear…. help me to help you.
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